The Los Angeles Dodgers made a couple of roster moves Thursday. They’re not splashy trade deadline moves, but they tell you something about how the team is managing its pitching staff right now.
The team announced it recalled right-hander Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned left-hander Charlie Barnes back to the same affiliate. Barnes had a night to forget in Sacramento against the Athletics.
Barnes got hammered in Oakland
Barnes took the ball Wednesday and lasted seven innings. The hits just kept coming. He allowed 12 of them along with seven earned runs. Only two strikeouts. The A’s won 7-1 and the Dodgers fell to 56-31. It was ugly enough that the front office decided to make a move.
Barnes is 30 and this is his second MLB team in 2026. The Chicago Cubs had him on a minor league deal first, and he put up strong numbers for Triple-A Iowa — a 3-0 record with a 2.38 ERA. The Dodgers claimed him off waivers after that. But his rough outing Wednesday sent him back down to Oklahoma City.
Enter a 6-foot-10 righty
Gervase brings something you don’t see every day on a pitcher’s mound. He’s 6-foot-10. That’s NBA height for a guy whose job is to throw a baseball downhill. This is his second season with the defending World Series champions. He originally came up through the Tampa Bay Rays system in 2025 before landing with the Dodgers.
The timing of these moves is interesting. The Dodgers are constantly linked to Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in trade rumors. That chatter has been around for weeks. But this transaction has nothing to do with that. It’s just a roster shuffle before a big series against the San Diego Padres.
Barnes will go back to Oklahoma City and try to get right. Gervase gets another shot in a Dodgers bullpen that can always use a fresh arm. Whether either of them is still on the roster after the trade deadline is a different conversation entirely.
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